This invention relates to land vehicles having tiltable segments, such as those steerable by a tiltable platform or platforms. In particular, it relates to personal transportation devices having wheeled assemblies linked by a connecting structure wherein the wheeled assemblies are independently tiltable.
In existing personal transportation devices having two wheeled assemblies linked by a connecting structure, independent tilting of the wheeled assemblies is achieved by pivoting of part of the connecting structure. An example of this is the connecting element (a “twist-pipe” in some embodiments) of the skateboard disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,259. Twisting of the twist-pipe is possible because two or more pipe sections are pivotably coupled end-to-end. This method allows for effective twisting, but it necessarily involves moving contact between various parts, and these parts could wear out with use.
A need therefore exists for a connecting structure that can serve a function similar to that of the connecting element described in the '259 patent, while avoiding fricative contact between its constituent parts. Such a connecting structure would not only be less prone to wearing out, but could also be manufactured more simply and at lower cost.